An analysis of the relationship between student performance on high-stakes testing programs (Missouri Assessment Program and American College Test) in Missouri high schools: Implications to school leaders.

다국어 초록 (Multilingual Abstract)

The purpose of this study is to determine the relationship that exists between student performance on the Missouri Assessment Program (MAP) and the American College Test (ACT). It will be determined if a correlation exists between student achievement levels on the MAP and the ACT. Correlation will be determined using the scores from three of the four core areas of the MAP of Missouri high school students and their corresponding ACT scores. The academic reputation of Missouri school districts are often based on achievement levels on these two high-stakes tests. The reputation of school administrators parallels the reputation of the district. Accountability of meeting lofty achievement goals on high-stakes tests is of specific importance to school superintendents and principals.
Four different correlation coefficients were determined as a result of the research. The first identified the relationship between the overall assessment tools. This correlation coefficient resulted from the relationship of the composite ACT score of individual Missouri high school students with the mean of their communication arts, mathematics, and science MAP scores. The final three identified the relationship between the sub-tests of the two assessment tools.
Quantitative data was collected from 20 mid-sized school districts throughout Missouri. Approximately 1,000 students are represented by numerical data for conclusion in the study.
The Pearson Correlation Coefficient (r) was utilized to measure the direction and degree of relationship between individual student ACT achievement and MAP achievement in Missouri public schools. The four hypotheses were tested using the Pearson Correlation Coefficient (r). The correlation coefficient measures the degree of linear relationship between two variables.
The research revealed that a positive correlation exists between individual student achievement on the MAP and the ACT. The strengths of the correlation varied on the specific disciplines addressed by each assessment. The correlations ranged from +.84 to +.66 as determined by the Pearson Correlation Coefficient (r). School administrators now have reason to believe that efforts in teaching and learning are having similar results on the two assessments when considering the achievement of individual students.